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Sheriff's Office History

History of the Sheriff's Office

The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office has grown from a one man department to an internationally recognized leader in the law enforcement community. The Sheriff’s Office now boasts almost 500 sworn deputies, operating two jails and an internationally accredited crime lab offering a full complement of law enforcement forensic services.

The one thing that has not changed since 1861 is the Sheriff of Johnson County still serves every resident and visitor of the county, providing a safe place to live, go to school, work and play. Johnson County Sheriff’s Office is one of the fastest growing Law Enforcement Agencies in the Midwest.

Johnson County is rich with history including a very famous Constable by the name of James Butler Hickok, better known as Wild Bill Hickok. Hickok served as a Constable of the Monticello Township in Johnson County in 1858 while during the same time; Pat Cosgrove served as the Territorial Sheriff.

With a full range of public safety duties including two Adult Detention Centers, Road Patrol, Communications, Investigations, Warrants, Civil Division, a Criminalistics Lab, and many other sections, the Sheriff’s Office is able to provide quality law enforcement to the citizens of Johnson County.

The sheriff’s office operates out of five main buildings located throughout Johnson County. These include: